Ask an Atheist.

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Dembe

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Hi all,

I’m an Atheist who listens to Catholic Answers Live quite often, and I’ve noticed a few strange preconceptions repeated by the hosts when it comes to explaining what Atheism is and what Atheists believe. Atheism isn’t another religion with set rules that all Atheists must believe. There’s no Archdiocese of Atheism. There’s no Atheist catechism to follow. Maybe this is why Atheists can seem inconsistent to Catholics.

So when I hear the term “leading Atheist” used in Catholic Answers commercials, I kind of shake my head. I don’t know of any “leading Atheists.” Are you a leading Atheist if you write a book about being Atheist? That’s a little silly. Anyone can write a book about anything they want.

I already get all my questions about Catholicism answered by Patrick Coffin, so in the hopes of returning the favor and dispelling any preconceptions, I thought I’d start a thread and see if anyone had questions about Atheism I might answer. Emphasis on “might” as we’re all unique snowflakes and I can only give you my own personal Atheist beliefs. Maybe other Atheists using this forum can chime in if their views are different.
 
Hi Athiest! 😉

Welcome to the party.

My question, and I ask this of all my athiest friends, I have several of them, is this-

Most honest believers will admit that they doubt their faith from time to time. When you see a child with AIDS, or a loved one die of Cancer, it’s a normal part of life.“A frantic orthodoxy is rooted in doubt-it’s when yout not sure, that your quite sure.” By a 20th centruy brilliant theologian. It’s one of my favorite quotes, actually. When I asked an athiest friend of mine if she ever doubted her athiesm-even for one monent, she said, “No, I don’t.” In retrospect, she found it odd and said I had a point. No, I didn’t have her become a Christian 😃 in that moment, she’s still an athiest, but she does think about it from time to time.

So, my question to you is, when you see an amazing work of art, or the vastness of the oceans, or the beauty of the mountians-when you fall in love with someone, have the birth of a child-do you still remain an athiest, or do-even for a moment, however passing, think-They’re might be something out there…

Thanks.
 
Welcome Dembe. After reading a number of debates regarding athieism in the philosophy forum I do have a somewhat basic question. Why do athiests even care about exploring life’s mysteries if they do not believe in a Creator? In other words, I assume that if a person does not believe in God, he or she believes that we are just a higher order of primate. Their being is therefore, derived from random mutation, instinct, adaptation, and evolved social skills in order to coexist within a community. However, the athiest has the same vigor as the believer in trying to understand the origin of the universe and all of the questions that naturally follow.

Curiosity? Evolved coping mechanism? Sport? I don’t think so. I believe that the athiest is no different than the believer. I believe that the search for these answers is in itself proof of God and the proof that man does indeed have a soul yearning to understand his or her Creator. What are your thoughts?
 
Rascalking said:
So, my question to you is, when you see an amazing work of art, or the vastness of the oceans, or the beauty of the mountians-when you fall in love with someone, have the birth of a child-do you still remain an athiest, or do-even for a moment, however passing, think-They’re might be something out there…
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I find these types of questions interesting, so while waiting for Dembe’s reply, I hope no one minds if I answer too.

As a agnostic who struggles with the question of God, I have he occasional “there might be something out there” moment. In fact, I sincerely hope that there is. However, I strongly suspect that if there is, it bears very little resemblance to the God portrayed by Christianity.
 
rick43235 said:
I find these types of questions interesting, so while waiting for Dembe’s reply, I hope no one minds if I answer too.

As a agnostic who struggles with the question of God, I have he occasional “there might be something out there” moment. In fact, I sincerely hope that there is. However, I strongly suspect that if there is, it bears very little resemblance to the God portrayed by Christianity.
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Perfectly fair answer my friend. Thanks for answering.
 
What are your specific views on God?

Do you think for certain he doesn’t exist?
Do you think he probably doesn’t exist?
Do you think that there’s merely insufficient evidence?
 
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